Violin Odyssey
First Hand, 2022
8/10
The violin wizard Itamar Zorman joins up with the pianists Ieva Jokubaviciute and Kwan Yi for these compositions that bring in composers from all over the world, and it makes for a stylish and cultured affair.
“Oberek No. 1” opens the listen with the keys and strings dancing around each other with warmth and mystery as the pair interpret Grazyna Bacewicz, and “Wanderings” follows with much beauty as the mesmerizing piano and emotive strings complement each other with so much grace in the Moshe Zorman original.
Further along, Dora Pejacevic’s “Violin Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 43” brings both bare and tense moments amid a stirring cinematic quality that unfolds, while “Afromood” is quite firm, even jarring, and brings percussion and keys together in very adventurous, atypical ways via the Ali Osman song.
Nearing the end, Gareth Farr’s “Wakatipu” moves with a haunting aspect that segues into intricate violin that illustrates a profound skill with the instrument, and Summerland, by William Grant Still, exits the listen with a sublime dreaminess as the duo work together with much cautiousness.
A technically proficient listen that is at times dramatic and other times serene, Zorman and company sound great in this live setting, and the compositions resonate a rare soulfulness.
Travels well with: Amit Peled- Solus Et Una; Palaver Strings- Ready Or Not